Remembrance
by bebopspike86
Summary: "While he may be gone, he will never be forgotten". Post death fic. I wrote this back in 2014 but never published it. Better late than never.


"Remembrance" A short story I wrote based on Naruto.

Naruto is Kishimoto's property. Stupid Kishimoto and your stupid endings. :(

"Mommy, what was daddy like?" Little five year old Chojuru looks up expectantly from the floor at his mother, as she stares off at nothing in particular. She directs her attention to Chojuru and a smile slowly creeps onto her face. "What was daddy like…hmm?" Sakura adjusts her sitting position so there is ample room for him on her lap. "Come sit her dear. I'll tell you all about him". Chojuru eagerly leaps up and onto his mother's lap.

Sakura kisses little Chojuru on top of his head, then begins to stroke his hair gently. "Your dad was a brave man. There wasn't a challenge he couldn't take on. There were times when even mommy had given up and lost hope. Everyone would tell your dad that he should give up. That he should call it quits. But you know what your dad would say honey?" Chojuru turns back to face his mother, bouncing with anticipation. "What mommy?" Sakura laughs at her son's antics. "He'd say, I never back down. I never go back on my word. That is my Nindo." Chojuru sports a confused look.

"What's nindo mommy?" "Nindo dear, is your belief. Your way of doing things in life. Your dad had the strongest nindo of all. Strong enough to change the hearts of lost and hopeless souls. It's that very same nindo that made mommy fall in love with daddy." Chojuru beams brightly at this revelation. "Really mommy!" Sakura tickles Chojuru. He laughs and fusses about for a bit. "Of course dear."

"Growing up, your dad was a famous prankster, who wore funny colored clothing, and only ate ramen. To most girls, your daddy was annoying, including me." Chojuru folds his arms across his chest and sports a pout. "That's mean mommy!" Sakura laughs yet again at her son's behavior. "Your dad was also the strongest and most kindhearted person you'd ever meet. He'd give his blood and tears for a complete stranger if they needed his help. He desperately wanted to make connections with others, and he also hated injustice. This led to many fights with total strangers." Chojuru puts his hand over his mouth, in shock at the bad behaviour of his father. Sakura chuckles and kisses her son on the cheek. "This also led to the strongest friendships your dad ever had." Chojuru removes his hand and smiles. Sakura looks off at nothing in particular and begins to smile softly.

"He asked me out on dates constantly...I always told him no...I was kinda mean to him actually." Chojuru frowns. "But you know, after spending so much time with him in the academy, I slowly began to see him differently, as countless others before me. Even though I was mean to him, he always stood up for me. People would make fun of my forehead, saying it was big and flat like a billboard, and your dad would tell them to shut up. He'd say that I had a beautiful forehead...I blushed on more than one occasion because of that compliment. He would only say kind things to me, even though I often said mean things to him. I couldn't understand why he would do such a thing."

"Eventually we became teammates and we started to spend more time together. If Naruto was anything, he was fun. He pulled pranks, which I reluctantly laughed at. He was a big goof ball. I found myself smiling all the time I was around him. I saw him face off countless bullies and even make friends with a lot of them. I saw him shine when everyone else knew for sure he would fail."

"As much as I hated to admit it at the time, he impressed me...inspired me even...I wanted to be just like your dad .I started to realize that I wanted to be near him more often than not. It got to a point where I needed to be near him more often than not". Chojuru smiles brightly and gives his mom a big hug. She kisses him in return. "The rest son, as they say, is history." Chojuru suddenly becomes quiet and looks down at the floor, alarming Sakura a bit. "What's wrong dear?"... "I miss dad." Sakura smiles a sad smile and kisses her son on the head again. "Me too dear...me too"


End file.
